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Journalism of Courage
VADODARA, July 30: Disturbance at the Commerce faculty has become a daily affair now 8212; Thursday was no exception to the rule 8212; giving one cause to wonder what exactly was fuelling the agitation over admissions to the first year. Express Newsline has confirmation of the rumours that have been doing the rounds in the campus for some time now: money power, apparently, is what is talking here.
Shocking but true: a section of student leaders8217; have apparently accepted cash to ensure Commerce faculty seats to students who have secured less than the cut-off percentage. And this is no new tactic; in fact, the rates8217; this year have fallen to Rs 1,000-Rs 3,000 from upwards of Rs 5,000 last year.
The needle now veers around to those at the other end, and by public consent, stops at union leaders. But Express Newsline is aware of a student leader8217; with nothing whatsoever to do with the Commerce faculty who has received Rs 500 from a student by assuring him a seat.
Incidentally, such leaders8217; are known to have collected upto Rs 10,000 each last year from students securing 40 per cent 8212; the cut-off for admissions in 1997 8212; or even less. Though some of these students subsequently were admitted on their merit, there has been no question of getting their money back.
MSU union leaders themselves are well aware of the racket. Says union general secretary Prakash Verma, 8220;It is a fight for the students and since we are going about it aggressively, all charges are levelled against us. Those who are accepting money for seats are not representatives themselves, but belong to the elected wing of the student body. They are cashing in on the names of elected representatives.8221;
Interestingly, Verma admits that most of the students for whom they were fighting would not attend classes, but targeted the MSU degree they would get with the help of coaching classes.
While student leaders maintain it is their job to fight for students, the faculty authorities point out that student leaders have no right to interfere with their decisions.
Claiming to be well aware of the admissions racket, Commerce Faculty Dean B S Patel says apart from the fact that the faculty physically could not accommodate more students, the wrongdoing had made him all the more determined to stick to his stand of no-more-students.
8220;The violence is probably the fallout of the money changing hands, since those who accepted the cash are now answerable to those who did not get admission8221;, he says, adding, however, that since no student had complained about the racket, no action could be taken against either party.
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